1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shutter mechanism provided in a supply port for supplying powder, such as toner and two-component developer, to a second device connected to a first device from the first device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is conventionally known a technology for providing a shutter mechanism in a supply port for supplying powder such as toner and a two-component developer to a second device connected to a first device in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system such as a copy machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction product of these devices, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-341759.
Specifically, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-341759, when a nozzle (second device) of a toner supply device is relatively attached or detached to or from a toner container (first device), a shutter provided in the supply port of the toner container is opened or closed in conjunction with its attaching/detaching operation. The shutter mechanism that automatically opens or closes the shutter in conjunction with the attaching/detaching operation of the device can prevent such a failure that a large amount of toner scatters from the supply port when the toner container is removed from the apparatus, as compared with a shutter mechanism in which a shutter is manually opened or closed. The shutter mechanism can also prevent such a failure that toner is not supplied to the toner supply device because the shutter is not opened due to some error when the toner container is attached thereto.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-143202 and Japanese Patent No. 2986588 disclose technologies for a shutter mechanism provided in a supply port of a toner supply container (first device). The shutter mechanism is configured to form a guide groove for guiding an opening/closing operation of a shutter in a recess manner so as not to be exposed from the supply port as viewed from a developer hopper (second device). Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-143202 and the like also disclose technologies for providing a sealing element in a space between both end portions of the shutter and the guide groove to ensure sealing capability between the shutter and the first device.
The conventional shutter mechanisms have such problems that the opening/closing operation of the shutter is not smoothly performed or the sealing capability around the shutter decreases while the opening/closing operation of the shutter is being repeated in conjunction with the attaching/detaching operation between the first device and the second device.
Specifically, in the technologies in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-143202 and Japanese Patent No. 2986588, because the shutter in a plate shape is internally provided in the first device, the sealing capability between the supply port and the opening of the second device can be increased as compared with the shutter mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-341759 in which the shutter is interposed between the supply port in the first device and the opening of the second device. The increase in the sealing capability allows greater flexibility of the shape and layout of the supply port of the first device or the shape and layout of the opening of the second device.
However, because the shutter and the guide groove are internally provided in the first device, toner adheres to the guide groove and to the front end portion of the shutter while the opening/closing operation of the shutter is being repeated, and the toner is eventually firmly fixed thereto. The firmly fixed toner prevents the shutter from a smooth opening/closing operation, and the improper opening/closing operation of the shutter results in toner supply failure and toner scattering.
Such problems commonly occur even in a shutter mechanism provided with a supply port through which any powder (e.g., two-component developer) other than the toner is supplied.